Water ice refrigerator



July 5, 1938. c. E. QUINN 2,122,752.

WATER ICE REFRIGERATOR Filed March 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY Q O QAJ ATTORNEY-S.

July 5, 1938. c. E, QUINN 2,122,752

WAT 51B ICE REFRIGERATOR Filed March 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN'IOR. C km: E Qumn ATTORNEYS.

Petente 353E391, 1938 WATER ICE EEFRHGERATQR Clara. 7E, Quinn, Mount Vernon, EL, assignor to lBroquinds inc Wilmington, Del, o. corpora.-

tlon oi Deiowcre Application march 3, 3937, Serial No. 28 ,576

@laims. (@l. 62-81) This invention relates to refrigerators of the type employing water ice and is concerned with improvements in the construction thereof which make it possible to attainlower temperatures in the storage spaces from ordinary water ice, to

create and maintain proper humidity in the storage spaces, and to secure more uniform tempera.- ture conditions therein.

Generally, it may be stated that the mechanism includes a heat exchange wall, in contact with which is pieced the water ice-on one side and a suitable secondary liquid refrigerant circulating in heat exchange relation with the well and a heat collecting system exposed to the storage space of the refrigerator. in'addition, there is em ployed mechanism for insuring the presence of the proper amount of moisture in the atmosphere of the storage space while arranging to collect end carry away any condensed moisture.

These and many other objects as will appear from the following disclosure are secure by means of this invention.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will be described in greater detail in the following specification.

in the accompanying drawings,

Figure; 1 is e. side elevational view of the mechenism comprising this invention within a heat do insulated cabinet which is shown in cross-section; v

Figure 2 is a. cross-sectional view taken on the As is well known, the ordinary water ice refrigorator is highly ineflicient and it is not possible to reduce the temperature in the storage space to thereof to anywhere near the temperature of the water ice. In addition, refrigerators of this type are notoriously ineflicient in maintaining anywhere near a uniform temperature within the storage space. The structure of this invention makes it possible to attain much lower tempera.- turcs with water ice than is common practice today and to hold these lower temperatures uniformly and at the same time insure the proper humidity in the storage space.

One form of mechanism is illustrated in the drawings and comprises a. heat insulated cabinet 6 of any suitable form and construction. Within the cabinet is mounted a shallow metal container 2, which in conjunction wlth a. suitably formed bottom wall 3 forms a. closed circulatory space adapted to contain any suitable and well kno form of liquid secondary refrigerant. The wall 3 is preferably made in the form of 2. series of connected troughs to form a more or less corrugated wall, thereby increasing the area thereof exposed ,5"

to the convection currents within the cabinet. The well 3 is sealed to the bottom of the shallow container 2 to produce a. series of disconnected and completely closed splices. These spaces are filled with a liquid, so-called secondary, refrig- 1o erant, which is free to circulate therein under the thermosyphonic forces generated. Depending from and connected to the wall 3 in heat exchsnge relation, by soldering, welding or otherwise, are e series of fins t which likewise are it corrugated to increase the erea thereof. Secured to the lower edges of the outermost fins are a pair of brackets 5 and 5, between which extend and to which are secured a series of small troughs or gutters i. The brackets are of dlfierent lengths so that the gutters i all have an inclination towards the hack of the cabinet. Supported so as to be below the discharge ends of the gutters is a rectangular tank 3 which is mounted on the back wall of the refrigerator. This container is provided with a discharge spout 9 in the bottom thereof which projects into a. waste pipe in extending to the exterior of the cabinet.

Within the container 8 is a smaller container ll of rectangular form which is provided with a. discharge or overflow pipe H in the bottom wall thereof which extends into the container and above the bottom waLlL'as is clear from Figures 1 end 2. Thespout I2 is positioned so that when the container ii is placed within the container 8 it discharges into the spout 9. At i4 is a'discharge drain pipe for the shallow pen 2 which is positioned so as to discharge onto a. battle l3 secured in the container ll so as to divert the -,water discharged from the drain. pipe I4 from 40 direct entry into the spout i2. As is clear from the figures, the container ii is smaller than the container 3 and sits therein spaced from all of its wells.

In the operation of the device, 9. block. of water ice is set in the shallow pan 2 so as to rest .on the bottom wall of the pan. The secondary refrigerant is on the other side of this wall and carries the heat absorbed from the storage space and conducted to it by the fins 4 and the wall 3 to the gutters I and runs back into the container 15. By reason of the fact that the spout I2 is above the bottom of the container I! it will be apparent that a body of water will eollect therein until it overflows through the spout. Thus there r is always a quantity of water in thecontainer from which evaporation may take place to maintain the humidity in the cabinet. Any moisture which collects on the cold container II will drip into outer container 8 and be discharged through spout 9 into the waste l0.

As shown in Figure 1, a shelf l5, which is preferably perforated, as is common practice, is employed to support articles to be refrigerated.

With this arrangement itwill be apparent that the atmosphere within the insulated cabinetmay freely circulate so as to passin heat exchange relation with the wall 3 and the fins 4, It will be noted that the pan 2 is shown as dividing the ice chamber at the upper part of the cabinet from the storage space.

From the above description it will be apparent that this invention resides in certain principles of construction and operation as iilustrated in the drawings, which may be varied by those skilled in the art without departure from the scope thereof. I do net, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purpose of illustration but rather to the scope of the ap-,

pended claims. v

What I claim is:

1. In a water ice refrigerator, the combination comprising a heat insulated cabinet, a shallowof metal fins heat conductively connected to and depending from said corrugated wall, a eontainer having means for maintaining a body of liquid therein, and means for conducting condensate which collects on said tins to said container.

2. In a water ice-refrigerator, the combination comprising a heat-insulated cabinet, 'a shallow nietal pan mounted in' the cabinet and dividing it into two spaces, said pan being adapted to support a body of water ice, means including a corru- 5 gated metal wall sealed to said pan to form therewith a plurality of closed chambers adapted to hold a liquid secondary refrigerant, a plurality of metal iins heat conductively connected to and depending from said corrugated wall, a container having means for maintaining a body of liquid therein, and means for conducting condensate which collects on said fins to said container and for conducting the ice water from said pan to said container.

3. In a waterice refrigerator, the combination, comprising a heat insulated cabinet, a shallow metal pan mounted in the cabinet and dividing it into two spaces, said pan being adapted tov support a body of water ice, means including a corrugated metal wall sealed to said pan to form therewith a plurality of closed chambers adapted to hold a liquid secondary refrigerants plurality of metal fins heat'conductit'ely connected to and depending from said corrugated wall, a container having means for maintaining a body of liquid therein, means for conducting condensate which collects on said fins to said container, and a second contmner within which said first container sits. I

4. In a'water ice refrigerator, .the combination comprising a heat insulatedlcabinetn shallow metal pan mounted in the cabinet and dividing it into two spaces, said pan being adapted to support a body of water ice, means including a corrugated metal wall sealed to said pan to form therewith a plurality of closed chambers adapted to hold a liquid secondary refrigerant, a plurality of metal fins heat onductively connected to and depending from sa d corrugatedwall, a container having means for maintaining a body of liquid therein. means fbr conducting condensate which collects on said fins to said container and for conducting the ice water from said pan to said container, and a second container within which said first container sits. v

. CLARA E. QUINN. 

